Darkness Within
by EternalStarhaven
Summary: Inside our souls exists the capacity for love and hatred. Pluto once warned that the future is not absolute, to choose rather than to allow fate to decide how to live and how to love. Eternal Sailor Moon must find the will to forgive and to choose, or allow herself to become the person she had spent so long fighting.
1. Curiosity

Curiosity

* * *

Silver wings flapped in the wind, the majestic creature that owned them doing a graceful spin in the air before allowing them to open to their full width. If someone happened to glance skywards, they would admit to having seen an angel or an incredibly large bird. She was neither of these things... In truth, she was the result of sacrifice and death, not from just the planet she had once called home, but across the entire Galaxy. She was the last of a race that had died a long time before the ten thousand year war, long before the formation of Crystal Tokyo, and long before her rebirth in the 20th Century on Earth. Oh yes... the war that she had neither won nor lost.

Scanning the Earth below, she tried to understand why she had returned here, as if she felt obligated to protect the world from further harm while the ten star crystals that inhabited this world made their journey across space. Five years had come and gone since the disappearance of the Sailor Senshi, new warriors having taken up the call to arms. Like the Sailor Senshi, they too had suffered, and it broke her heart to see such strong, youthful minds filled with so much regret, sorrow, and doubt. Yes, they'd always answer the call for battle, but some were less willing than others, only doing so because of the close bond he had with his fellow companions.

If Galaxia had not taken them, would the Sailor Guardians and Ronin Warriors have had an easier time dealing with their enemies. Something felt connected, as if there had been an ulterior motive at keeping them apart. As the Guardian of the Cosmos, she saw traces of the terrible evil that had tried to take over the world, so similar to what Beryl had done during the Silver Millennium and five years previously. Yes, the physical scars might have healed, but she sensed the planet's and her current protectors' pain and fear, the desperation in the select few that had somehow taken up the fight the Sailor Guardians would have continued had Galaxia not taken them. Like Sailor Moon and her friends, they too felt the weariness of the never ending struggle between good and evil.

The warriors, both in the mortal realm and the immortal one, she sensed them and the connection of their armor, their powers and the close resemblance it had to the ten former guardians of the Terran system. The only key difference is that the Sailor Guardian's power came from the planets themselves, while the armor of the Ronin Warriors came from both the planets and the armor. Pausing in mid-air, she froze, suddenly understanding what had happened, and the future that should have never come to pass. No, she didn't understand fully the past memories that had yet to return to the Sailor Guardians, and that had mainly resulted from never encountering the Nine Ronin Warriors and Lady Kayura.

So the real threat had never been Beryl or her master. No, they had been a mere distraction, despite how powerful and difficult they had been for the Sailor Guardians. The five that guarded the mortal realm were like the Inner Senshi of Sailor Moon's court, while the four that guarded the Netherworld were the counterparts to the outer senshi. The two groups should have never met under normal circumstances, but nothing about their lives had ever been normal. And yet she sensed something missing from the warriors, as if one had fallen from their numbers. Her eyes saddened. She knew this level of sacrifice all too well, and she wondered if this would cause a problem with the balance and the future that had resulted as a result of them not being placed with the Sailor Senshi. Was this a mere coincidence, or something far more sinister at work?

A single tear slid down her pale cheeks, and she cursed the fates for what it had created, the enemies that none of them knew or had yet to fight. The Sailor Guardians and Ronin Warriors were destined to fight at each others' sides, not apart. She had traveled in the past in hopes of Sailor Moon ending a war that she failed to complete herself, very much like Suzunaki had done with the Ronin Warriors, and neither had managed to sway them from their path, or their destinies as warriors for the mortal and immortal worlds. Until now, she hadn't understood the sacrifice Sailor Moon had made, why she had chosen to jump into the Cauldron rather than destroying it. How had her past self become so powerful, or was that something that had been altered due to the meddling of her mother and their enemies?

Sailor Moon had become so courageous, so defiant... Sighing, she closed her silver eyes and re-opened them, noting the small and large clouds floating around her. Some were fluffy and harmless, while others contained small amounts of moisture that would later become the thunderstorms she had been so afraid of as Sailor Moon. As Cosmos, she feared next to nothing. Reaching out to touch one, she failed to sense the danger almost too late, turning barely to dodge a powerful arrow. This wasn't a mortal made weapon, but one made of pure star energy.

Aqua blue eyes narrowed in frustration, another arrow already formed in his bow. Fear or anger should have been her reaction to his attack, but she already knew he saw her as an enemy from the darkness. Unlike most mortal males, he didn't allow her inhuman like beauty to distract him... instead it had the opposite effect on him, seeing her as an even greater threat that if she were disfigured, ordinary, or even ugly. His armor seemed like it had come from the older world, an era that had long since passed from the current century they now lived. Why did he feel strangely familiar to her? Would she have been able to remember easier if she wasn't so much older than her past self? Only a thousand years separated them at this particular point in time, but she was from the far, distant future, having seen the rise and fall of Crystal Tokyo, the destruction of Earth and all its inhabitants before her enemy had moved on throughout the Terran System and the Galaxy.

Despite the fact that he had engaged her in combat, she didn't bother to fight back, having easily twirled out of the way, her wings creating a flurry of cold air, which pushed him back. His second arrow prepped and ready to fire, he hesitated. If she were truly from the Dynasty, shouldn't she have already done something to stop him? Was she underestimating him as an opponent and his abilities? Growling, star energy already began to form around the arrow, "Lady, the first shot was a warning."

If he thought to anger or provoke her, she simply tilted her head in annoyed amusement, a small uplift of her lips the only indication that she felt anything at all. "A second or third will not find their mark any more than the first," she foretold. She was probably right, her wings making her incredibly fast and impossible for his friends to contend with, even Ryo. Her tone didn't seem at all disturbed that he had an arrow pointed at her chest, sparking a sense of fear inside of him. To her knowledge, humans had never gained the ability to fly, confirming her theory that the Ronin Warriors were not human at all, but something more. Only one had been human, and he had died, that knowledge tugging at the back of her mind.

This particular warrior was different than his other companions. How was it that he was the only one of the nine that had the ability to fly? Gritting his teeth, he fought against her compulsion to lower his weapon, and retreated, her silver eyes flashed with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. Any other mortal would have fled at the thought of her, let alone engaging in combat with her. However, he not only ignored her strong compulsion to leave, gifted to her by Sailor Mars, but he was struggling against the dark aura that belonged to Sailor Saturn, the one that had triggered his instinct to fight in the first place.

"The Dynasty never gives up," he snarled, his entire body trembling at the effort it took to keep his weapon raised and aimed at her. Why wasn't he firing at her already? The first shot had been so easy, but that had been before she had turned to face him, her silver eyes regarding him as if she knew his every thought, hope, dream, fear, and sorrow. "Why can't the lot of you just leave Earth and us alone?" he shouted.

Suddenly she was behind him, her words whispering like a breeze against his right ear. "If I so desired, all of humanity would vanish without me so much as lifting a finger, both the mortal and immortal one. The explosion this planet would make upon her destruction, would take out all of the Terran System and more. You seem to think you know who or what I am, but in reality you have absolutely no concept of what it had taken, the sacrifices made, the destruction and death across the Galaxy required for me to exist. I am the last warrior, the living proof of the hatred and greed that created a ten thousand year war that will have no victor," she hissed with a cold rage. "Are you so willing to risk the total annihilation of this timeline, the human race, and the existence of those that currently protect this world because of a false and reckless assumption?"

He tried to turn his head, struggling to meet her gaze, and when he finally succeeded, he found himself immobilized with terror, despair, and hate. On the surface, she seemed calm, but Tulpa compared to this woman, was child's play. She wasn't boasting or bragging about her power; this woman had stated a simple fact, a warning in her message. He knew then that she did have the ability to destroy his world, and the fact that she had not, had him filled with confusion and frustration, his fingers losing their grip on the energy arrow and allowing it to dissipate.

Her body shifted, moving until she hovered directly in front of him. White wings gently brushed against his face and neck, a contrast to the cold fury that swirled in her silver gaze. She was his enemy... wasn't she? Why couldn't he pull away from her? Some of the anger faded from her eyes, as if she were trying to figure something out. "You intrigue me, Rowen of the Strata? What are you and why do I feel as if the future that I wish to stop was nothing more than a cruel joke? No human would continuously try to fight my compulsion to fight and withdraw... even now I feel you struggling to take back up your weapon."

He felt the wave of compulsion wash over him... it hurt to fight her, but he was not so weak minded that he'd give in to her. Rowen sensed her need for answers, and as stupid or petty as it was, he refused to give them. Rowen hated the Dynasty and everything that it had taken from him, his innocence, his youth, his hopes and dreams as a normal boy. He had no delusions that he'd forever exist as a guardian for the mortal realm, but that didn't make his choice any easier to accept on an emotional level. Lady Kayura and the three remaining warlords were supposed to be watching over the Netherworld, so how had she gotten out and why had they not tried to take responsibility if she truly was an enemy?

Rowen, at that moment, knew that his friends had no way of fighting this woman, and he'd rather die than expose them to the danger she represented. Blue eyes, blazing with defiance, stared back at her silver eyes... once again he found himself hesitating. He saw neither good or evil, but something close to how the Warlords and the Ronin Warriors felt.

"I have existed for a long time, have traveled back through time in hopes of ending a ten thousand year war... How have we never crossed paths? Why were we separated from the nine of you? I don't understand." He heard the sadness in her voice, and he almost relented, barely clinging to his resolve to keep his mouth shut. You are stronger than you realize, Rowen of the Strata, different from the others. Why do you hide it from them? You are 'not' a follower, but a leader in your own right. Why did you place yourself in such a position, to allow Ryo of the Wildfire to shoulder the full weight and responsibility of the Nine Warriors?"

How the hell had she figured the out? It wasn't that he didn't want to lead, but everyone always looked to Ryo for answers, and his recklessness and quick temper had him leaping without looking first... so he had always supported his decisions rather than try to stop or force him to submit to logic. It was true, that when the Warlords had captured his friends, he alone had evaded the Dynasty to regroup with Ryo, and he could have easily taken charge then, but instead he simply supported his friend and followed him in combat. When he did make a decision, he rarely even asked for permission, he simply made it.

He was aware that he had a dormant power inside of him, and feared releasing it. That is why he chose not to lead, to remain calm and level headed rather than allowing his emotions to guide him. Who or what the hell was she? A small part of him almost knew, but this wasn't her original state of being, as if something horrible had created her. He saw the suffering in the gaze staring back at him, the hate and regret, the guilt and pain... so much emotion, and one wouldn't have realized she was feeling it at all unless they had a direct encounter with her.

"I will not destroy you or this world, Rowen of the Strata. Rather, you intrigue me, presenting more questions than answers to the why our lives had somehow not crossed paths. The destiny presented to us was a false one, and I'm very close to restoring it to the path it should have been from the very beginning." As quickly as she had appeared before him, she was gone, white feathers floating around him like snowflakes.

* * *

She appeared beside the ten star crystals, knowing it would be several centuries before their return to Earth. With Sailor Pluto's power, she had the ability to alter time and the destinies that had somehow been chosen for them. Something had changed it, an enemy that the time guardian had not seen. Perhaps she had been too young at the time to have sensed the threat, or was it the silver crystal and the wish her mother had made? It was too late for herself... she had already lived that future, and despite the possibility that Endymion shouldn't have been her husband, or the King of Crystal Tokyo, she had still loved him.

The pain of losing him and the Sailor Guardians was suffocating her, and she released a strangled cry, one that she had vowed to never release after their sacrifices. As she had faced off against Rowen of the Strata, she knew that those sacrifices would have never occurred if they had been in the same timeline as the Ronin Warriors. The awakening of the Sailor Senshi shouldn't have happened as earlier as it had, and something had sent Beryl and her master back into the mortal world prematurely.

If she reset the timeline to the way it should have been, will the future of Crystal Tokyo still happen? She wouldn't know unless she returned to the time gates, and she refused to go back there. Perhaps if she made decisions without knowing the result, another path would open before them. Sailor Moon of the past had yet to fully choose Endymion, and she wouldn't have even considered the option if she had not become the Moon Warrior so soon after her resurrection on Earth. If she had met the Ronin Warriors, would she have had a stronger connection to one of them? How much of Sailor Moon's decisions were the result of duty and obligation? Did she really want the future of Crystal Tokyo, or was that the decision made because she had seen a future that shouldn't have made its way to her? Did Sailor Moon have a free will of her own? Did any of them? Other than a thousand year old 'story' of fated lovers, none of them had ever really had had a chance to find love, or if there even was a possibility for something deeper.

The Warlords and Ronin Warriors were the same. Ryo of the Wildfire had briefly tried to open his heart for affection and love, to simply lose her to the evil that he often had to face. He had not tried again, relying on his connection to the other four entirely. They were all he had, and he was desperate to hold on to them. The moment the Sailor Guardians had seen 'that' future, they had not once considered another possibility. As a result, Crystal Tokyo had become an 'absolute' rather than a possibility.

Another fact that had Sailor Cosmos doubt the future she came from... So many times Endymion had been compelled to turn away from Serenity, to turn against her by their enemies. If he had 'truly' loved her, that should have never happened. Endymion had considered breaking up with her prior to seeing that future, but his sense of honor and responsibility had given him a false sense of obligation to Serenity when he had seen Chibi-Usagi of Crystal Tokyo. They had grown attached to her, and it only strengthened their resolve to accept the future presented to them in order not to lose her. Endymion might very well choose to break up with her again if he had another alternative, one that didn't involve killing her, and for the first time, Sailor Cosmos doubted that Endymion loved her as much as he should at this current point in their lives.

The fact that Sailor Pluto had allowed that child to slip into the past enraged Sailor Cosmos. However, was she not guilty of the same crime, trying to influence her past self to destroy the Cauldron and the future she had come from? Shaking her head, she knew she wasn't the same. She had never asked Sailor Moon to travel forward in time to fight her battles; an enemy that shouldn't have existed in the first place. Even if she had existed, they might have actually stood a chance as a unified force with the Ronin Warriors and Warlords. Her eyes widened. That was it! Somehow Chaos had gone back in time, to the point of the Silver Alliance, altering the flow of time as her mother pushed them into the future for a second chance.

Serenity had known something was off when she had started to develop feelings for one of the Star Lights. That meant that Endymion wasn't her 'true' soul mate! Their decisions had all been made around that one future, a future created because of Sailor Chaos's interference and manipulations. That future would only lead to death, and she was the 'end' result of that path. She was tired of being alone, she was tired of an impossible battle that had no future regardless if she won wrapping her long wings around her body, she released a cry of pure despair, unaware that it would reach through to the sleeping Moon Guardian.

A change had begun, the hints of silver at the tips of her long, golden hair. Her wings were still broken and covered in blood, Sailor Cosmos staring back at her with anguish and regret. The tears slid down her cheeks; "Why... why do you fight so hard for an impossible future?"

"I fight for a future; it just hasn't necessarily been the right one." Sailor Cosmos stilled, startled at her past selves realization and acceptance of the truth that she had just learned with her encounter on Earth. Sailor Moon's eyes closed, and for a moment, Cosmos thought that she might have fallen back asleep. She shouldn't have even awakened yet, not until they arrived in 30th Century Tokyo. However, when she spoke, Cosmos knew Serenity was fighting her own battle, her voice filled with sorrow and regret. During her journey across space, she had come to understand that if she continued on their current path; her friends would die, and she'd become the woman that now stood before them.

"I had my doubts about Endymion and myself for some time now... I love Chibi-Usagi, even if she was a troublesome child at times. I kept asking myself if we would have stayed together if we hadn't seen Crystal Tokyo or her. We were so different, he was so much older, and our energies do not align with one another. My enemies always went after him, and it was always too easy for them to corrupt his heart and mind. Maybe he couldn't have fought it, but I want to believe that if he had truly loved me, that his heart would not have so easily turned away to the darkness. No... I know that he doesn't hate me, but his strong sense of honor, duty, and obligation will over write anything he might truly desire for himself. The enemies from the future... from your future... Would they exist if I find an alternative path, one without Endymion as my husband, or as the King of Crystal Tokyo? I never found the answers to my questions, nor do I know if changing the future is the right choice or if I even have the right. I do know that if we choose that path, the future is nothing but darkness and I'd rather have them hate my selfish desire to see them happy and walking another path, than to self-sacrifice themselves so they can give me the power I need to fight a never-ending battle. My soul existence is for them; I cannot fight to fullest potential without them, nor should I ever have to face that option."

Despite the spell that bound the Sailor Guardians, Sailor Moon reached for the lonely warrior before her, their fingers intertwining; "I'm tired... and I don't want them to die anymore.. I will consider another path... I might not have always gotten along with my adoptive family, but they once told me that what we need is not always in alignment with what we want. And as for Sailor Chibi Usagi; she's not mine..."

Cosmos stilled, her silver eyes going wide in shock. "How..."

"I'm not angry; I think I knew from the beginning, and I'm tired of destiny deciding our fates and never giving us a choice on who we wish to marry or love. I don't even think we have our full memories of the past, and until we are free of conflict, and our emotions are not confused and influenced by the 'heat of the moment,' I will not allow any of us to fight again."

When had her past self become so powerful, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well? "I..." she replied, her energy quickly fading. She couldn't fight the compulsion to sleep for much longer; "...will not allow the Sailor Guardians to tie themselves to me for century after century, always protecting me and never finding someone for themselves. I want them happy, and I want them free to choose the life they truly want. If it is to fight as a Sailor Guardian, then I will accept their help with gratitude and honor; if they wish to stand down, I will embrace their choice and support their responsibilities with everything that I am and forever keep the memories we have shared close to my heart. They are my friends, and I love them, and I think I've confused my love for the Prince of Earth. It is no different than how I feel towards the other Sailor Guardians and that is not fair to my friends, Endymion, or you."

"Sailor Moon..."

"It's okay; I trust you. Let us change 'our' dark future..."

"Stop protecting everyone!" Cosmos screamed, her tears now a torrent of rage and anguish. "Why can't you simply protect yourself?"

"That's not who I am and who knows that better than you," she whispered. "My mother should have never wished upon the silver crystal... Chibi-Usagi should have never come back from the future... I should have never based my hopes and dreams on a future that I shouldn't have seen. I had different dreams once... and I almost forgot them... I promise... I will become stronger, not just for them, but for myself as well... That future will not happen..."

And in a flash, the ten Sailor Guardians shot forwards, appearing in a time that was much sooner than the 30th century; to the same timeline as the Ronin Warriors. Sailor Cosmos knew then that if the future was to change and all of them were to have a chance, it would be with the help of the Warlords and Ronin Warriors.

To protect them, Sailor Moon placed a barrier that matched their elements around them, to be broken only when their true soul mate found and freed them. At that time, they would have a choice to find each other, or forge a new destiny free of obligation and loneliness. Cosmos made a vow, watching them vanish, that she'd find their soul mates and protect them. If Sailor Chaos ever discovered that Sailor Moon had discovered the truth behind their dark futures, she'd destroy them long before they ever crossed paths.


	2. Violent Storm

Violent Storm

* * *

After she had left, the compulsion that had kept him immobilized vanished with her, leaving him with a mixture of rage and helplessness. Returning home, back to the mansion that Mia had left for them, a sanctuary that provided the Ronin Warriors a place to retreat and to train, Rowen had immediately gone to the basement, pounding the training bags until his fingers and hands bled, furious that she had managed to overpower him. Why was he never strong enough to stand up against his enemies without having to call on Ryo or the others? After what Suzunaki had done, he doubted that Ryo would ever fall asleep without the fear that they'd vanish again. It wasn't that they had quite abandoned him, but the messages that he had played back to them had all left them with a sick feeling in their stomachs. What had possessed them to make those calls, and how had Ryo still managed to search them out after they had subconsciously been forced to abandon him to face her on his own?

He was angry that he might have no choice but to involve the others, and Ryo couldn't even sleep on his own without one of them in the same room. The role of leader had somehow shifted to Rowen, and as much as he didn't want it, he didn't reject their need for him either. It should have been that way in the very beginning, but Ryo had seemed like a fitting choice and he was never one to invite a power struggle when they needed to work as a team instead. Sage spent the most time with Ryo, and it wasn't in a sexual or perverted way, but like a brother that wanted only to comfort and protect. After the encounter with Suzunaki, they had all agreed that it was simply easier if they stayed together at that point, knowing that every time they tried to go their separate paths, they were involuntarily pulled back together for another fight. They had almost lost Sage in California, Ryo had lost a girl he had barely gotten to know.

His loss only strengthened their resolve that any relationship with a normal human would only result in them dying like Runa had. Ryo was hurting so much, and they had no idea how to help him anymore, not even Cye, the one that was often more attuned to their emotions and state of mind. No, Ryo didn't talk about the days after they had vanished, or how those phone calls had ripped him mentally apart. He often woke screaming, and Mia had fled back to the United Nations in order to escape the guilt that she felt for not believing him and asking him to keep away. She had thought that it was what they had wanted, not understanding that it was out of character for them, truly leaving Ryo without the emotional support he needed from one of the two humans that had any knowledge of their lives and the roles they had played to keep the world from annihilation.

Not that her presence would have made a difference. Ryo had refused to talk to her, his relentless anger and bitterness putting a slight chink in their friendship. However, despite their pleas for her to tell them what had happened, she refused to say anything; she said it wasn't her story or right to tell. Normally, the cool and collected one of the five Ronin Warriors, Rowen's rage continued to spiral out of control. He pummeled the kicking bag so hard that it went flying through the basement window, and he turned to another bag that was mere inches away. He didn't see or hear his friends appear, quietly waiting for him to calm down enough to approach, sensing the storm, and the violence being directed at the training equipment and the room around him.

Performing several spin kicks, four more punching bags went flying, chain links and sand slamming in whatever it connected with. Suddenly, a hand swallowed one of his strikes, but Rowen was beyond reason and let loose with a drop kick and a spin that knocked Kento onto his back. At the moment, Rowen could only see his enemies, wave after wave coming at him as he struggled to survive, his eyes turning from his calm aqua color, to a deep and frighteningly cold mercury. If anyone was familiar with the color, they would know that mercury was a mixture of blue, gold, and silver, and Kento barely avoided the blow that followed after he had been swept to the floor, cracks being left mere inches from where his head had been.

A pair of arms wrapped around him, and Rowen froze, the storm inside of him hesitating, struggling to recognize friend from foe. "Rowen, my friend, please calm down." He knew that voice... it was familiar... the one that preferred peace over combat. Cye repeated his words over and over again, hoping to reach through to Rowen's half-crazed mind. Minutes passed, all of them holding their breaths as Rowen gradually returned to normal, his eyes once again regaining their aqua color. Whimpering, clearly stressed and confused, he released the last of his anger and rested his head against the water warrior's shoulder. He wanted to protect them, but didn't know how. Ryo... he couldn't let him fight again, not right now. His friends, they were the only thing he had that he called a family, and he hated the guarded look that had come into Ryo's eyes. He had once been so happy and optimistic, now he jumped at the slightest noise or movement of the shadows. The bonds that had once made them so strong, had weakened, and he didn't know what to do or how to repair the damage.

Cye wrapped his arms around the blue haired fighter, feeling him holding back the torrent of anguish and desperation. Something had really set him off, and none of them had managed to figure it out. Mia had mentioned she was on her way back, but none of them had felt any negative energy. Rowen's encounter with that woman had proven just how weak they all still were, and he'd never allow them to get involved, or he'd die trying. Rowen would keep them alive.

"No!" All eyes shifted towards Ryo. One of his stronger abilities was to sense something off about them, often coming in the form of dreams. His psychic abilities were frighteningly accuracy, and they always trusted him and his strong intuition. Ryo's eyes had taken on a volatile fire, one that heated the room around them, and Cye felt Rowen's rising anger to match it, startling him that Rowen wasn't backing down this time. "I know that look... That's the one where you're going to take off again... I don't need or want your protection Rowen. Whatever enemy you think that we can't handle; well you're wrong. I don't want you going."

Snarling, the momentary calm that Cye had managed to draw out in him, faded like the light from a setting sun. Pushing him away, Rowen stood to his full height, his eyes once again that terrifying mercury color, stalking the wildfire like a predator would it's prey. Ryo wanted to stand his ground, but he instinctively moved back, inch-by-inch, until he flinched at the striking of Rowen's palms against the wall trapping him. He was caged in, Rowen giving Ryo no choice but to fight for his freedom, or to submit. And in Rowen's current state of mind, all of them had their doubts that Ryo could stop the star warrior. "The four of you are the only family I have... I know that I've always hesitated to step up and lead; I thought that if I just followed, everything would work out. I was wrong then, but I'm not now. You and the others will not fight 'her.'" Storming out of the house, he powered up and took off, his armor far too fast for any of them to track or follow in a car.

* * *

She had sensed the awakening and frighteningly destructive power in him, the way the other Ronin's had accepted his decisions. Ryo's acceptance was reluctant, but he had had no choice, Rowen asserting his dominance. Following him for several hours, she found a hint of amusement that he now might prove a match for her past-self... well now that she thought it over, he was definitely more powerful if they managed to clash. As Sailor Cosmos, she had the combined power of the other Sailor Guardians, making her far more superior than him in every way. Rowen was the one that Sailor Moon needed to stay alive, the one that she needed to lean on for emotional support as she faced off against the enemies that had always targeted her friends. Now that he understood what he had and must do; she had no qualms about allowing him close to Sailor Moon. Serenity might not want love at the moment, but only their true soul mates had the ability to awaken and heal them from their slumbering states.

The more she studied him, the stronger her curiosity became. He was unlike anything she had ever encountered or would again. True, he wasn't human and neither were his friends, but his powers were not like the other planetary ones. Unlike Ryo of the Wildfire, Cye of the Torrent, Kento of Hardrock, or Sage of Halo; Rowen's powers were beyond any of their comprehension. It was quite possible that he didn't know the full extent of his powers either, the changing of his eye colors a hint that she didn't understand. Would anyone have the answers she was looking for? Would Mia? She knew so much about the legendary armors, but did she know about the Sailor Guardians that were somehow connected to them?

Unaware that she had caught up to him, Cosmos grazed Rowen's hand with the tip of her wings, laughing as she dodged one of his arrows. He only proved that he wasn't a normal archer. "You..." he growled, determined not to let her get to him this time, her voice affecting him far more than if she had just attacked him or some other random human.

Spinning behind him, her wings caged him in, making it impossible to grab another arrow. "I'm curious," she taunted, her lips dangerously close to his ears again, her small hands sliding down his arms; "you're so determined to fight, and yet I've done nothing to indicate that we're enemies."

His anger made no sense to him either, but one look at her and he felt so much rage simmering at the surface of his emotions, that the intensity of those emotions startled her long enough for him to gain the upper hand and break free of her hold, twisting until he now had her in the position she had had him in moments ago. She had been right, the awakening of his powers had made him a force to reckon with, and she felt a flicker of fear before she shoved it to the back of her mind, her entire body trapped against his stronger one.

"Let go," she hissed.

Rowen could have ended the fight between them at that exact moment, but he hadn't failed to notice the vulnerability in her expression when he had turned the tables against her, the uncertainty and fear. Perhaps she wasn't an enemy, but she had never said anything about wanting friendship either. Unless she chose to use her razor sharp wings to cut her way free, he had her exactly where he wanted her, Rowen lowering his head until all she could hear was the sound of their breathing and the wind whistling by them. "I know no other way... From the moment I opened my eyes, from my very first steps; I knew my life was not my own... that I'd face enemies that had no remorse about killing innocent people, destroying the mortal world... I've watched my friends almost die, suffer as those around him abandoned him one-by-one... and you ask why I don't trust you? How stupid do you think I am, lady? And don't get me wrong; you're beyond being one of the most stunning creatures I've ever laid eyes on, but Tulpa had a way of corrupting beauty, until all that beauty did was destroy everything it touched or laid eyes upon."

"Shut up..." she gasped, trying to tune his voice out, not wanting to feel the warmth he was generating with his words, the way it felt to have her so close to a man for the first time since that terrible war had begun... Endymion's touch and embrace had always felt safe and calm; Rowen's would consume her like the stars did the sky. Breaking his hold on her should have proven a simple matter, and again he surprised her at the coldness seeping into her, her senses being overwhelmed by something that made her feel like pitting herself against him was like facing space itself, the darkness and loneliness swarming around her.

What was he and why was he so strong? Breaking herself free should have been an easy enough task, but he was only growing more powerful as they continued their little encounter. Fear started to override her sense of calm and certainty, and it was at this moment that Rowen felt the anger turn to calm, his gaze still as cold as the air around them. Something about her was familiar, and he had a strong suspicion that this wasn't her original state of being? What had created her and why did she seem so filled with despair? Where he had hesitated at engaging her before, holding her the way he was now, he felt a primal and familiar instinct consume him. He knew he was stronger than her, and he wanted her to acknowledge that fact.

"You want to protect the innocent?" she demanded, surprising him with her question. "Why? Why is it so important to sacrifice your lives, desires, hopes, and dreams for the humans that will never thank you?"

"Simple... we chose..." She stilled against him, no longer struggling for freedom, but trying to wrap her mind around his honest answer. "We don't want their thanks, nor do we wish for them to know that we even exist. If the five of us have to stand between the darkness and the mortal world; to allow them to remain in their ignorant, blind little fantasies, then that's fine."

Perhaps Sailor Moon was right, Cosmos thought. The future could change and she smiled, her heart breaking all over again. She knew if that were to happen, she'd disappear, but that also meant that humanity would survive and she'd not have the lingering regret that never seemed to leave her. "You sound so much like her..."

Silver light wrapped around them, and before he could stop her, they were no longer on Earth, but the old ruins left behind after the fall of the Silver Millennium. "Perhaps the future will change after all," and she was gone, leaving Rowen stranded on the moon, staring at the large, blue sphere that spun several thousand miles away. A silver light came from within, and without hesitating, he made his way towards it.

* * *

The mountain beneath the earth trembled, and lavender eyes opened briefly in an effort to figure out where she was and why she was surrounded in a red sphere of light. "Serenity... we need you..." and she slipped back into dark oblivion, sensing the weariness in her Princess, and wishing she had the ability to tell her that fighting was never an obligation, but a sense of belonging to something and someone that would never abandon her. She knew her choice... it was simple... and she had no regrets. She had known Crystal Tokyo was a dark future, but she had never wanted to force Usagi to decide against it; she had to make that discovery on her own and now it seemed that she was close to turning her back on them all in order to prevent them from dying or sacrificing their happiness for her.


	3. Search For The Past

Search For The Past

* * *

Having been called back by Sage, Mia dropped her bags near the door, and approached most of the Ronin Warriors sitting in a loose circle in the living area. It was good to see them again, but she still felt the tension in them after their encounter with Suzunaki. Had Ryo forgiven her yet? His gaze was directed towards the window, his blue eyes filled with an anxious fear and anger. One of the five was missing; where was Rowen? He was often one of the first to take off when a new enemy appeared, and now seemed no different as Sage, Kento, and Cye glanced up from their quiet conversation to smile at her with a mixture of relief and happiness. "What's going on guys?"

"Has anything happened recently?" Sage asked, jumping straight to the point. She had been with them from the very beginning, and they had all learned to trust her research abilities and quick mind. Now working for the United Nations, she had access to information that often helped them to solve any incidents before they became a major problem. However, the one thing that she wouldn't do, was give away their identities or where they resided to those that she worked for, sensing that they would become slaves to the governments of the world if she did. Not only that, too many would try to steal or use the armor for their own reasons, and none of them selfless or good.

"Other than the possibility of another war between various countries, no."

"Is that mess still going on?" Cye grouched, amazed that everyone couldn't just get along, that their hate and need for violence was the reason Tulpa had come into their world in the first place.

"Where's Rowen?" She finally asked.

"That's what we were hoping to figure out, but seeing as how you don't really have any threats that are necessary for us to deal with; we're back to square one. All we know is that he came back a couple of days ago, really angry, tapping into a power that none of recognized, and forced all of us to back down and stay put."

"Wha-?" Mia gasped, trying to comprehend the strong-willed warriors staying at the house in place of searching for their friend. "Is there a reason why he would do that?"

"He said something about us not fighting 'her', and he left," Ryo spat out, clearly agitated that he couldn't find the will power to fight Rowen's command. The blue haired fighter had never done that before, and the fact that they couldn't ignore that command had alarmed and worried all of them. Why would Rowen feel the need to assert his dominance now and what was he so determined to keep them from facing off against? Ryo didn't want to lose his friend, despite how angry he was at the moment. Rowen had a bad habit of trying to make self-sacrifices, but thankfully he hadn't felt him die.

"Can you describe his new power?"

"He was stronger than normal, and his eyes were a mercury color instead of the usual, light blue we're all familiar with. Let's just say you'd prefer the lighter color," Kento shuddered.

"That's not much to go on," Mia sighed, already heading to her grandgrandfather's library. "I'll see what I can find, but you know that my grandfather's files are encrypted and difficult to decode without the right words or phrases."

"We'll help as much as we can Mia," Cye promised, and she nodded as she separated herself from them.

All of them saw Ryo glance in her direction, but refrained from going after her. Was he going to stay angry at her forever? Cye and the others wanted to say something, but had learned a long time ago, that Ryo had to work things out for himself.

* * *

Mia felt the all consuming guilt wash over her, sitting into her familiar chair. She had wanted to get back to her grandfather's files for sometime now, but the United Nations and the growing turmoil around the world had kept her constantly busy and in a state of exhaustion. Her grandfather's work would require a life time of dedication to decipher, and she didn't mind the challenge, but every time she uncovered something, a new enemy would go after her friends. She didn't want them hurt anymore, and she was mentally and physically worn down herself. She knew things that only one other human knew, having lost family and friends during their encounters with the Dynasty and other enemies.

If it hadn't been for the Ronin Warriors, she would have been just like everyone else that the Dynasty had captured, but she wasn't. She didn't know if she should have found herself grateful, or wanting the same oblivious ignorance of the rest of humanity. "You are a unique human," a voice whispered, Mia releasing a startled scream. Jumping to her feet, she dove around to the other side of her desk, surprised to see a woman sitting on the window sill of her study. White wings folded around her, her feet bare as they regarded one another, silver eyes studying her with quiet curiosity and determination. Sighing, she stood, turning to face the open sky... "We'll talk later, after you manage to calm and send them away." With the flap of her wings and burst of freezing wind, she lifted off and vanished.

The door to her study busted open, none of the warriors making an apology for the shattered wood. It didn't take a genius to know that whatever had frightened her had already left, Sage and Ryo moving towards the windows and looking around. Picking up a white feather, Sage twirled it around in his fingers before handing it over to Mia. As angry as he was with her, Ryo didn't want her hurt, and with a sigh of annoyance, he turned and walked towards her, tucking a strand of hair behind her tiny ears. "Mia...?" he questioned, his voice almost a command.

"I'm sorry; I guess I'm still easily frightened," she lied. Ryo's eyes narrowed, as did Cye's and Sage's. Kento was too oblivious to realize she had yelled, his stomach already growling in protest. Sensing that there was no immediate danger, Kento ran off to the kitchen, shouting for them to holler if something happened.

"I've decided that if I were to forgive you, Mia," Ryo warned dangerously, "that the least you could do was not lie to us. If you still consider us friends, you'll not keep us in the dark, nor will you do anything that places us or yourself in danger."

He felt like a jerk to see the tears in her eyes, but he couldn't let her think that the way she had rejected his concerns was okay or easily forgiven. Ryo had needed her help, and he had almost believed that the others had left, forsaken their duties and responsibilities as Ronin Warriors. If he hadn't followed his link to them, they very well might have died as a result of Suzunaki's judgement on them.

"Ryo!" Sage protested, but Ryo shook his head, blue eyes never once leaving Mia's pain stricken expression. She was an integral part of their team, and he couldn't afford to have any secrets between them anymore. If they were to defeat their enemies, they had to regain the bond that they had had, and he'd have to deal with Rowen once he came back. For now, however, he'd deal with his current problem with Mia.

"I'm not even sure there was even a problem," Mia relented, deciding that he was right. If the woman wasn't an enemy, then she had nothing to worry over and the guys wouldn't have to fight her. However, if she kept the secret away from them, they could very easily find themselves separated or hurt again. I had just sat down when she suddenly appeared in the window, stating that I was a unique human. I screamed and she said that she'd return after you guys weren't around."

Ryo looked at Sage and Cye, all of them thinking the same thing. Was this the woman Rowen had mentioned, the one that he didn't want them to fight? If she was that woman, then where was Rowen? Unless they assigned Mia a permanent body guard, they risked the woman not coming back, but if they left her alone, they risked her getting hurt or killed as well. She saw the conflicting emotions in Ryo's eyes, his need to keep her out of harm's way, but she had already been through hell and back; she could handle this, or so she hoped. "Let her come back; please?" she asked them, surprising all of them with her request. "I don't think she wanted to fight."

"Mia, you can't know that!"

"She had more than enough time to hurt or take me if she had so chosen, Ryo. Only a few seconds had passed before I screamed, you broke in here, and she was long gone."

"I don't care," he growled, taking a menacing step towards her. "I'm so damn tired of everyone I care about getting hurt, and if she's harmless then she won't mind asking her questions with us in the room."

Mia couldn't reason with Ryo in his current state of mind. Sage placed a gentle hand on his friend's arm, Ryo's gaze flying to Sage's blue one. He always was the more mature of the group, but he was always the one that suffered the most when it came to their enemies. "You're too hard on her, Ryo. Her intent was not to abandon you, and deep down you know this. She thought she was doing what we all wanted, and that was no different than any other point in our lives."

"She told you!" Ryo shouted.

"No, but I'm not blind, nor am I fool. Her absence made it quite apparent that something happened after our disappearance, and you always went to her in the past when it involved us and our enemies. Am I wrong about my assumption? Cye picked up on the more emotional aspects between you two, and I pieced the rest of it together."

"What happens between Mia and myself is not anyone else's concern."

"It is our concern," Cye disagreed. "You don't sleep well, you barely eat, and you spend what time that you are awake sitting outside with White Blaze. If we so much as hint that we want to go into town without you, you get agitated and paranoid that something will attack us."

"So what if I've developed a bit of post-traumatic disorder or something to that affect! Can you blame me? I've always had to watch you guys get hurt and I never know if I'll lose you like I did Runa! I can't do it! I need you guys!"

Cye and Sage pulled him into a crushing embrace, Ryo briefly struggling before he relented and buried his face against Sage's expensive looking shirt. If the prim and proper lightning warrior minded, he kept it to himself, Cye applying gentle pressure against Ryo's back. As much as they had wanted to go with Rowen, they all knew that he had done the right thing in leaving them behind, allowing them to help Ryo cope with them having to possibly go into battle again. He had to understand that they couldn't always fight together, no matter how much they might want otherwise.

"Ryo," Mia spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "If I promise to keep you informed, will you please trust me on this? I know I made a mistake, but I never wanted to hurt you or the others."

"I know," Ryo admitted, and without another word, he left, Sage close behind. Cye gave her a reassuring smile, hesitating for only a moment before he too left her alone. They only hoped that they wouldn't regret leaving her to face a possible enemy.

Mia was right; as soon as they left, the woman came back, the flapping of her wings the only sound that she made as she landed on the soft carpet. Mia was mesmerized by her, the way she gracefully moved around the room and touched the various objects occupying it. It was at the display cases of the various armors that were worn in the different parts of human history that she paused, a frown forming at the edges of her mouth. "Did they really wear these things?"

"Is that really why you came here?"

"A small part of it, but I'm more curious about a legend that is just as old as the legend of the nine armors. First, may I ask if you have any memories or knowledge of the nine guardians that defended this world prior to the Ronin Warriors five years ago."

Mia frowned... she had heard something about a group of Guardians, but they had only made a brief appearance for four years before they had suddenly vanished. Her grandfather had thought the Dynasty had made an appearance back then, but the threat was over before it had even started and everything had returned back to normal. "I believe they were called the Sailor Guardians, and the leader was Sailor Moon. There were a lot of unexplained attacks on the people of Tokyo, but they were all passed off as hallucinations or isolated incidents."

"What do you believe?"

"I believe that the threat did come from the Dynasty, but they somehow stopped it from destroying the Earth or the human race."

"And the enemy the Ronin Warriors faced?"

"There enemy also originated from the Dynasty, but I think you already know this."

"I do, but has anyone ever considered the real enemy, the real threat to us all, and why those Guardians vanished without a trace, forcing the emergence of the Warlords and Ronin Warriors five years later?" Mia paled... afraid to inform Ryo or the others that they indeed had a larger threat than even Tulpa. "You need not mention that there is another enemy until you've somehow unlocked the rest of the legend. Your grandfather may or may not have found anything on it, but I believe you are the one to help them discover the secrets that were forgotten and buried a thousand years ago."

"Do you know where Rowen is?"

"He's looking for something, and best left alone until he finds it and figures out who he is and what his true purpose is. Rowen, despite what everyone believes, is the true leader of the Ronin Warriors and Warlords, and allowing Ryo to take that role was not only selfish, but incredibly dangerous. Ryo is not one to openly talk of what he's feeling or why; he's just that type of person. Only another that has his particular abilities will break through the mental barriers he's placed around his mind and heart."

Suddenly the room exploded in an array of colors, all of them resembling the rainbow. In front of her were seven wands, all of them cracked or burnt. "I cannot force you to search for the legends of the Sailor Guardians or the link they have to the nine armors, but I have no one else that knows anything about them, or has a close connection to the Ronin Warriors without a hidden agenda. I place these within your care, Mia, friend of the Ronin Warriors. Only the ones destined to find and release them will it shine with the light you see now."

"Do they have to search on their own?" Mia questioned, afraid that Ryo would go ballistic if she suggested such an idea at this point.

The woman almost smiled, and shook her head. "It is their friendship that has kept them alive and pulled them through the difficult battles they have already faced, and that friendship and those destined to fight at their sides are very necessary if they are to continue their fight against the darkness."

Mia remembered something, her heart heavy with sadness. "One of them might not awaken if you believe they're connected to the nine warriors. The Warlord Anubis, sacrificed himself in order to save the last descendant of the ancients."

The woman's eyes widened, as if remembering something. "Did anyone mention the name of her father?"

"No."

The woman's wings unfolded, and as she hovered outside her window, she briefly touched Mia's face. "You're very strong for a mortal. How do you willingly choose to fight at their side with no real power of your own?"

"I love them... after my grandfather died, they were all I had left, them and Yulie."

"The child that lost his parents."

"He got them back, but yes." The woman sighed. "Perhaps there is hope for your kind after all, something she hadn't expected to find. Thank you. If you have need of it, I will help to the best of my ability."

"Wait!" Mia cried out. "Who are you?"

"A future that shouldn't exist." With no other explanation, she was gone, leaving Mia staring at the seven wands now on her desk. Great, how was she supposed to explain all of this?

"She definitely has a lot of power. If she's the one Rowen was talking about, I can see why he didn't want us involved." Not for the first time, Mia screamed, glaring at the quiet fighter leaning against her studies door frame. Cye had a bad habit of sneaking up on you, and one wouldn't know he was around unless he wanted you to know it. "I just couldn't get a sense if she was good or evil."

"I'm not sure if she's either one," Mia admitted. "Where are the others?"

"Keeping Ryo occupied." He immediately felt the wave of pain in Mia, her heart aching from the strain on their friendship. "Give him time, Mia. He's always been rather difficult when his emotions are in contrast with his virtue."

"How much did you overhear?"

"If I said none, would you believe me?" He teased, trying to get her to smile. It almost worked, and he swore that he'd get his friends to smile again. Approaching the desk, he studied the wands the woman had left behind. They each possessed a special kind of power, very similar to the ones the woman possessed. However, these were weaker and some close to fading out entirely. What the heck had happened to them and what had she meant that someone specific would have to find the people tied to them? "I had a feeling she might come back if she thought we had retreated."

"I'm not sure where to even begin my search or what I'm searching for," Mia sighed, sliding into her chair. "And the real enemy? Is that even possible? It wasn't like Tulpa was a friend or a close acquaintance."

"True, but we can worry about that when it becomes an issue. She did say that our primary focus is to figure out the legends connected to the armors and those missing guardians."

"Yeah, but... if what she said is true, that each of you are supposed to find one, we might have a hard time with one of them. Anubuis died, which means we may not be able to wake up one of them."

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Mia, but we can't ignore the fact that we'll have to find the others and the Warlords before we know which one is going to need our help the most."

Cye felt a strange pull to one of them, a slight glow radiating from the blue stick. Mia noticed it as well, wondering where it would take him. "Please don't go on your own," she begged.

"I think Rowen might have a problem if we attempted that idea."

"Isn't Ryo the leader?"

"Well... that's never really been established in the past, we've always followed his lead, to include Rowen. My guess... Rowen's tired of Ryo always shouldering the brunt of our responsibilities and suffering as a result of it. In all honesty, I believe Rowen is a lot stronger both physically and mentally, but hasn't had the ability to tap into that power before. Can I take these to the guys? If they glow, we'll know which ones to search for, and take the others with us. I have to assume that woman will somehow contact Lady Kayura and send the Warlords to help us find them."

"I guess that'll be okay," she agreed. "That'll give me sometime to research information on the former guardians of Earth and what might have happened to them? Although, I don't think my answers will all come from here, but in Tokyo where they did most of their fighting?"

"Don't hesitate to call us if you need any help, Mia?"

"I won't," not mentioning that the strange woman had offered to do the same.

* * *

Ryo couldn't believe it. He had just gotten them all back, and the thought of Rowen leaving or getting hurt was wrecking havoc on him emotionally and psychologically. He wanted to believe his friend wouldn't get hurt or that he'd come back, but every time he stayed gone for any length of time, was a cause for concern to all of them. They had all left him! Mia had even gone so far as to back their decision, never once considering that they wouldn't have normally made that decision on their own. His heart hurt, and he blinked back the tears, struggling not to break down in front of them again. Sage forced him to lie down on the couch, his head resting against his thigh.

Sage didn't give a damn how it looked; he only wanted his friend to calm down and stop hurting so much. Kento was on the other side, going against his better nature to sit on his own or with Cye. A calm, but strong hand landed on his shoulder, and Ryo looked up into the blue-green eyes of his friend, noting something in his other hand. "What are those?" he asked, sitting up to study the seven wands.

"First, you need to have faith in Rowen. Apparently, he's dealing with something and needs to figure out the new power that's awakening inside of him. It's advised we stay away from him until he does. Besides, Rowen is more angry with himself and us, than anything."

Ryo didn't have to ask for him to clarify. Out of the four, Rowen had taken it the hardest after they had left Ryo. It angered him that Ryo had thought he had to face his enemy alone, that they'd so cruelly call him the way they had. Ryo had never once blamed them for it, but Rowen had decided that they needed to stop relying on Ryo to solve all their problems as if he were invincible. Tulpa had nearly destroyed them twice. Their armor was technically evil with only their virtues to keep them from succumbing to their instinct to kill and destroy. Yes, they had new armor now that no longer had the evil influences over their souls, but none of them had tried to put the armor back on since they were gifted to them.

Each of them had overcome the dark compulsions, the desire to do as Tulpa had wanted and make them apart of his armor again. It was more than that though. Rowen, unlike the rest of them, had always had the natural ability to lead them, but had chosen not to. So why... he didn't understand. Rowen wasn't like them, and he had no idea how he knew that. Yes, he had the power of one of the Ronin Warriors, and he valued the lives of his friends, and humanity. So why had he always chosen to follow rather than lead? What was driving him to such lengths to take that leadership role now, and what enemy was he trying to face that he felt the four of them couldn't help with? As much as he tried to take comfort in Cye's promise, that Rowen wouldn't just abandon them to fight solo, he still hurt. He needed them... and if he lost sight of them... What if he didn't get them back the next time? Had he failed them as a leader? Was that what Rowen thought?

"Ryo stop!" Cye shouted, startling all of them. "Rowen doesn't doubt your abilities at all, and you should know that better than anyone. Besides, I thought you might want to know if that woman had come back and what she left behind."

"She came back?" Sage asked, keeping a steady pressure on Ryo's arm.

"Yeah, but I decided not to say anything so we could figure out what she wanted."

"Is she a friend?" Kento demanded, cracking his knuckles together. He needed a good fight, but only because he needed to pummel something after Rowen had practically confined them to the house. He wanted to ignore his command, but doing so was next to impossible and the harder he tried, the harder it was to even bother in the first place. Kento still couldn't get over how strong Rowen had suddenly become.

"I'm not sure what she is, but she's not an enemy." Placing the wands on the coffee table, they all looked at them with varying emotions of recognition and anxiety. "One of these is specifically connected to each one of us, and we have to find the person that they belong to. Before we became the Ronin Warriors and took on the task of protecting the mortal world, there were nine other guardians, and they all vanished five years ago."

"Really?" Kento asked, moving closer to the table. The orange one flickered, and as he picked it up, it blazed to light before fading back to a weaker pulse, as if even that amount of power had taken everything out of it. "Why is it cracked like this?"

"She never said, and she asked Mia to look into the legends that were connected to our armors and the Guardians that vanished."

"She's not expecting us to find them alone; is she?" Ryo hissed, a storm of anger swirling in his eyes.

"Mia asked her that and her answer was no. She wanted us to stay together, that if we continued to fight separately, we would only make it that much easier for our enemies to win."

"At least we agree on something," Ryo grouched, calming down considerably. Sage had gone for the green one, Cye the blue one, and Ryo couldn't stop himself from taking the red one, all of them doing the same thing as Kento's wand. "So we're supposed to find the ones connected to these? And then what?"

"My guess is to help save them. Judging at the extent of damage to each wand, they're probably badly injured, some of them barely clinging to life."

"Should we go without Rowen?" Kento asked, knowing it was on all their minds.

"He said not to fight her, and we haven't. Rowen said nothing about searching for people connected to magical wands," Sage hinted, a smile forming at the edges of their mouths. So there was a way around their new leader's orders; something none of them had really discussed, or knew if they wanted to.

"Any ideas who we search for first or how?"

"Mia said a lot of their fighting was centered around, Tokyo. Why don't we go there? I'm sure she'll call us if she finds anything, and it might help in her research of what might have happened to them in the first place."

"I'm in!" Kento shouted in excitement, wondering who the guardian of his wand was going to be. The power felt very familiar to him, but he couldn't remember why and he had a desperate need to find the owner.

"One thing," Sage interrupted. "If we do this and can't stay together for what ever reason; we are not to go solo! Is that understood?"

"Is everyone taking on my job as the leader now?" Ryo demanded.

"You needed a break anyway, man," Cye agreed, ruffling his dark hair before going to his room to pack. They had no idea how long they'd be gone, and he had a feeling that something was going to try and stop them from finding these Guardians if they weren't careful. He wasn't wrong, a woman with silver wings watching over them in the absence of Rowen. Granted, Sailor Chaos had been forced into a dormant state like the other planetary guardians, but that didn't mean she wouldn't awaken, and time wasn't on their side. The more guardians they found and awakened, the stronger their chances at defeating her once she decided to attack.


	4. The Missing Guardians

The Missing Guardians

* * *

Mia had no idea what the heck she was looking for, trying to pull up anything that centered around the nine guardians, her computer still deciphering a lot of her father's coded files. That could take days, if not weeks, leaving her to find other ways to conduct her research. Going to the library, she combed through old data banks and news reports, and it wasn't until she came across an article about the disappearance of four teenagers, a famous violinist and race car driver, a science technician at Tokyo University, and a young medical student, that she felt as if she had stumbled across her first major find. Granted, the news articles were just reprints of the real ones that were probably in Tokyo, but it was something she could relay to the guys as they tried to figure out the mystery of the wands. They had vanished about the same time as the Guardians had, and the times and dates matched up with what the strange woman had told her.

Usagi Tuskino, 17 years old, from Minato, Japan... She had been adopted at the age of two, her real family unknown. It was said that she was friends of the other missing people in the article, and that she had a cat named Luna that had gone missing shortly after her owner's disappearance. Mia froze... the picture of the girl looked almost exactly like the one she had seen a couple of days ago, only this one had blond hair and blue eyes. Were they some how related? The woman did mention that she was from a future that shouldn't exist, so did that mean this girl was perhaps the same woman, only from this time and not the future? Mia's head started to hurt, but she ignored her headache, and continued her research and analysis. The next missing girl was Rei Hino from Hikawa Shrine. She had a father and grandfather, but it seemed the only one that cared about her was the grandfather. He had been the one to report her missing; her father had just assumed she had run away and had written her off.

It sickened her how anyone bothered to have children just to throw them away. Even though the girl might have found a home with her grandfather, that would never take away the sting of not being wanted by her actual father. There were mentions that she had been psychic, and she kept two crows as pets. They too had vanished after her disappearance. Before becoming friends with Usagi, she had been isolated to her shrine, in an all girls school before transferring to Usagi's, and rather cold to anyone that tried to approach her. Next was Ami Mizuno. Having a minimum IQ of 300, she was deemed as one of the smartest students in all of Japan, had her pick of any major University in both Japan and the United States. Her mother had often worried over her friendship with the other missing teens, but Ami had seemed happier with them. Her mother worked at a hospital as a doctor, and there was no mention of her father, only that her parents had divorced at an early age. "Why does it seem that these girls had a tragic life before meeting one another, kind of like the Ronin Warriors?"

Next was Makoto Kino. A young girl that had lost both her parents in a plane crash. She had later moved to the same area as Usagi and the others, attending the same school and ultimately making friends with them. She was rumored to have exceptional fighting skills and strength, loved to cook, and was fiercely hostile to anyone that threatened her friends. Other than the girls, she had no other friends in or out of school, making her an easier target than the other girls that had gone missing. Minako Aino, no known parents, and it was only because they were looking for the other girls that they had realized she too had gone missing. Whether she was connected as a suspect or was a victim remained unknown. She played volleyball, and was exceptionally shy when it came to making other friends besides Usagi and her circle of uniquely different friends. They were so unlike her in personality and backgrounds, that it amazed Mia how they had managed to find one another and become friends in the first place.

Haruka Tenoh, famous race car driver. She lived with the famous violinist Michuru Kaioh, and they had an adoptive daughter, Hotarua Tomoe. They had adopted her after her father had died in an experimental explosion at the university he was teaching at. Some thought that she had been experimented on herself, and had several scars covering her body before Harkua and Michuru had taken her into custody. Mamoru Chiba, medical student, recently transferred to America also vanished while overseas. Usagi's parents had mentioned that they had been dating prior to his enrollment to America, but were uncertain if they were still a couple when they hadn't heard from him in six months prior to their adoptive daughter's disappearance. Mamoru had lost both his parents in a car accident when he was very young, losing all of his memories.

Reading through the article and their backgrounds was painful and heartbreaking. Other than Usagi, it seemed that every person that had gone missing, had had an extremely difficult past, and it was hard to say what Usagi's was like without knowing more about her. Not knowing her real parents may or may not have had an emotional impact on her, but from what the article said, she had never known of them, nor had her parents wanted to tell her. Technically that was ten people missing, but like herself, one of them might have been connected to the Sailor Guardians without having any real powers himself. Digging deeper, she found one book that made a brief mention of the Sailor Guardians, all of them wearing uniforms that were the same colors as the five Ronin Warriors. She couldn't say the same for the older looking guardians, but they were probably connected more to the Warlords than the Ronin Warriors, having a connection to the outer parts of the Solar System. Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto, and in the center of their group was Sailor Moon.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were all centered around the young warrior, her hair style also resembling the woman that had visited her and the missing Usagi. Each Sailor Warrior had the same hair color and eyes as the missing people, with the exception of the man dressed in a Tuxedo and Mask. Perhaps he was the male that had gone missing, Mamoru Chibi. It was only a suspicion, but something to go on and the guys had yet to figure anything out as they searched the heart of Tokyo. Perhaps if she sent them to the Shrine where Rei had lived, they could start their search there, and possibly get Ryo's particular wand to react.

* * *

Sage's phone vibrated, and as he listened to Mia explain what she might have found, he felt a sliver of hope. Granted, they had only just arrived, but Tokyo was a large city, and it seemed that each of the Guardians were in different districts that were on the suburbs rather than in the heart of Japan. It was kind of like the five of them; they had a main location at Mia's lake side home, but they did most of their fighting either in the Netherworld or in the city. "You're thinking that the missing women and the one male have a correlation to the Sailor Guardians and the masked male fighter?"

"Yes, but it's not much. It seems the local newspapers thought Tokyo was under some kind of gaming delusions and that a bunch of people were just dressing up in cosplay or making things up."

"Anything on your grandfather's files yet?"

"No, but I still have a lot to decipher. My recommendation is that the five of you go to the Hikawa Shrine and speak with her grandfather, if he's still alive. The police no longer think they're alive, but if you convince him that we think they are and that were re-opening the case, he might decide to help us."

"Alright, I'll take Ryo and myself then. If too many of us converge on him at once, he might not believe our story."

"Considering your family owns their own dojo, he might feel more open towards you."

Saying his farewells, he relayed everything Mia had told him. "We shouldn't split up," Ryo resisted, a flicker of uneasiness in his eyes. "I have an idea how we can get him to trust all five us, but it won't work if we separate."

Sage sighed, but he couldn't fault Ryo either. What if the same forces that had tried to take them, had taken the Guardians. It didn't help that all of them, with the exception of one, was possibly female. Looking up the location of the shrine, they took one of the transit buses, mostly silent throughout the trip. Kento was even quieter than normal, ignoring his usual cravings for food as he kept studying the wand that often flickered when he brought it out. "Can we go to the library later?" Kento suddenly asked, startling all of his friends.

"Are you feeling alright?" Cye asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Mia might not have enough information on them because most of the fighting was centered around here. I was hoping we would find out more if we searched the newspapers and databases here in Tokyo."

"That's not a bad idea. Alright... we'll see if Rei's grandfather knows anything and go from there, pending there's even a connection to these missing people and the ten missing guardians."

"Aren't there only nine?" Ryo asked.

"Mia thinks that the male wasn't really a Sailor Guardian, but he supported them a lot like she does for us. Essentially, he's human, but has an integral part to play with their team."

"That's just a theory though," Ryo sighed. "Does she have any real evidence to back that up?"

"No, but we have nothing else to go on until she's gone through more of her grandfather's files."

"That's if he has anything at all. I'm wondering if we're even asking the right person. If there's a connection to us, and it dates back a thousand years, shouldn't we ask Lady Kayura or the Warlords that were alive back then?"

"You're assuming that they even have those memories still; that Tulpa didn't take them away when he corrupted them," Sage countered.

Ryo sighed, growing more and more anxious with each passing second. His stick had yet to glow again after he had first picked it up, the magic in it very feint. Why did he feel as if he was going to fail this Guardian if he didn't find her and soon? Once again, sensing his distress, Cye touched his friend's shoulder and smiled; "We'll find her, Ryo."

"What makes you think that they're even connected?"

"What does your intuition tell you? You've always relied on it in the past, and I think you should now. Not just for the girl you're looking for, but our Guardians as well; they might need that ability of yours."

"It hasn't confirmed or denied any of this," he told them. That unnerved them, but the fact that his intuition hadn't said anything wasn't a bad thing either, so they kept with their original plan and hoped something would give soon in their search.

* * *

Mr. Hino felt the passing of time, his age starting to get to him. He wanted to hang on until the return of his granddaughter, never having given up the hope that she was still alive. He wished that he had had her psychic abilities, or strange connection to their shrine fires... Even her strange birds had taken to the winds, as if they knew she had gone. The police no longer asked questions, and all of her friends' parents had stopped coming, no longer holding the hopes that their missing loved ones were still alive either.

Whatever had taken them, he wanted to believe that they were together. Sometimes he had nightmares of a terrible darkness, of enemies attacking, but when he woke, he couldn't see their faces or what they had done to Rei. Thankfully he now had Chad, a young traveler that had stopped through and stayed after hearing the story of the missing girls, one of them his granddaughter. He had planned on giving her the shrine after his passing, but if she didn't return in time, he'd have no choice but to give it to Chad. It seemed he had a strong calling for this sort of life; he was calm, quiet, such a contrast to his more vibrant daughter that had a volatile temper. Very quietly, he swept the shrine steps, knowing Chad would lecture him, but he always had the hope that she might walk up the stone stairs and hug him with a tearful greeting. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he angrily swiped them away, knowing she hated it when she cried. Crying was a waste of time and effort, and it rarely solved the current problems that they were faced with, but she had hardened herself so very long ago, finally opening up to a group of girls that had visited her on a daily basis.

They hadn't seemed afraid of her strange abilities, and they seemed to truly care for his granddaughter. What had happened to them? He had a feeling it was connected to the nightmares, something the police had no ability to solve if that were true. Deep in thought, he didn't hear the sound of the four boys that climbed the Hikawa Shrine, one boy huffing in exhaustion as he doubled over, holding his knees as he tried to breathe. "I... am... so out of shape!" he gasped.

"That's your fault for not keeping up with your training," Sage reprimanded.

Mr. Hino immediately recognized the heir to the Sendai Shrine, amazed that he had traveled all this way to visit. It wasn't that he felt himself inferior to the Date family or their influential power throughout Japan; but he hadn't really taken the time to branch himself out to the other shrines or Dojos. "Hello, Mr. Hino," he greeted formally, bowing as he had been taught.

Glaring at the other three, they did the same, not as fluid in their knowledge of shrine etiquette and how to address the ones that governed over them. "I apologize," he said. "They know little of the shrine life or the customs we follow."

"It's quite alright," Mr. Hino, his smile kind, but sad. "Can I help you boys?"

"We were just researching some of the old missing person files, and thought we'd re-open this one." Mr. Hino's eyes widened, surprised at the sincerity and honesty in the boy's words. If it was one thing the heir of Sendai prided himself for, it was his word and keeping his promises. He hated lies and evil even more so.

"I'm grateful, but why now?"

"Is it right that they are forgotten? It's never good to leave a family or loved one searching for unanswered questions; I want to bring closure to this case."

"It's been five years," the old man whispered, a tear sliding down his tanned cheeks. Rei would give him a stern lecture, but he didn't care. He'd gladly endure that lecture and more if he could only see her while he still lived.

"If you can tell us anything and everything about her, to include hobbies or abilities that might have drawn attention to her; please don't hesitate to tell us."

"The police blew off a lot of what I said," he complained, wanting to believe him.

"We're not the police; we're more like private detectives that solve difficult cases like this one. One of our friends works for the United Nations, and she's busy combing a lot of archives and databases for anything that we can find on them. The only three girls that had an identified home or family member were Rei, Ami, and Usagi."

"Ah... the blond and blue haired girls. If I remember right, Usagi was the cheerful one, but sometimes I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes when she thought no one was paying attention. When she first came here, she was a bit on the clumsy and cry-baby side, but that quickly changed in the four years leading up to their disappearances. She was quieter, more alert, and not as prone to tripping over her own two feet. Ami... that girl... I'm surprised someone like her could find friends. It wasn't that she was a snob or an elite, but with her intelligence and shyness factor, she often stayed close to Usagi. All of the girls did, to include famous race car driver Haruka, and violinist Michuru. She had this energy that drew people to her like a moth to a flame. Other than Rei, I can't really say that there were a lot of emotional changes in the girls other than the bond that they shared."

"Why is Rei different?" Ryo asked, drawn into the story. Mr. Hino noticed that the boys seemed honest in their desires to unlock the mysteries of the past, and whether or not they told the truth about finding missing persons, they wanted to find his granddaughter and the others. Perhaps they had been friends in school and wanted to find them for themselves. He'd gladly help in order to bring them back, even if it did meddle in official affairs.

"She's a strange one, that girl. Our family comes from a long line of priests and priestess, but her abilities are far beyond the norm, having an insight into the past, the present, the future, and always knowing good from evil. After she came here, a couple of crows took residence, and she refused to chase them off. Until Usagi and the other girls, she never attempted to make friends, her psychic abilities terrifying to those that didn't know or understand her. Most of the time she meditated in front of the shrine's large fire. Her abilities were always much stronger when she prayed to it, as if it told her things that I wish it couldn't. It has caused her to run off on multiple occasions, and there were times when I thought I saw bruises or lacerations beneath her clothing. I never questioned what she did, trusting that she was using her powers for good."

Ryo latched on to that information, a flicker of hope blossoming in his chest. It seemed that this particular girl, if she was one of the lost Guardians, was a lot like himself. Was she really psychic like him? A true psychic was so rare, stirring an old memory inside of him. The five of them were not 18 or 19 years old, but older, and living in an era where there was still a lot of uncertainty and war. He didn't understand the vision, but he knew it was important and kept it close to the back of his mind as he listened to Mr. Hino. "Is that the only fire she used, or did it matter?"

Mr. Hino studied the dark haired boy. He seemed so ordinary on the surface, but the closer he looked, the more he realized that the boy had a lot of similar traits to his daughter. "You said that the four of you had experienced a similar fate as those missing girls and boy; why did they target you?" he asked him in particular.

"I'm psychic and my element is fire." He had never openly admitted that before, and the others had suspected it, but until now, Ryo had never confirmed their suspicions. It did explain how he always seemed to know where they were or if they were in trouble. "It's always made me a target of unwanted attention and I nearly died a few times because people feared or hated my particular abilities. The four of us stick rather close as a result of what we've each gone through as individuals, and as a group. However, unlike your granddaughter, I don't necessarily need anything to sense what I want or need; it just comes on its own."

Mr. Hino found it difficult to believe that there was someone just as strong as his granddaughter, if not stronger, but if what he said was true, there was a strong possibility that these boys could and would find the missing girls and boy from five years ago. "Her psychic ability was strongest in front of that particular fire, but no, it didn't really matter if she needed to receive a message."

"Why is that fire different in comparison to others?"

"It was blessed to the Planet of Mars; I never really understood that part, but she said it was important and she never once faltered from what guided her." Mr. Hino knew then that these boys were not the police, nor were they detectives, but Sage had mentioned that they were only like them in the aspect that they're desire was to find and bring them home. They didn't seem evil, but he had fallen victim to lies in the past. Was he making the right choice in trusting these boys?

Ryo saw the uncertainty in the old man's gaze, and he took a huge risk in bringing out the red wand, watching as Mr. Hino paled, reaching for it with a shaking hand. "Where did you find this?" He gasped, holding it only long enough to ensure that it was hers before handing it back.

"A friend of us found them, and now we're trying to find their owners."

"There were others?"

"Ryo," Sage warned.

"He needs to know if we're to gain his trust and help. I'm not saying we have to tell everyone, but he's perhaps the closest to knowing what's going on than anyone else that's tied to those girls."

"He's right," Cye agreed, pulling out his wand and showing it to the priest. Sage and Kento reluctantly followed suit, the old man's demeanor changing dramatically.

"They're the missing Sailor Guardians; aren't they? I've always had a strong feeling that she was one of them, and deep down I was proud of her."

"Did she tell you?" Ryo asked.

"No, but I've had several nightmares of an attack, running to these very same steps, and then she was gone, blasted away in a violent storm of fire and pain. I always write those nightmares down while I can remember them, afraid that if I didn't; my memories of her would fade entirely."

"Our friend has been trying to find information on the Sailor Guardians, but there isn't much to go on."

"The Sailor Guardians only appeared when there was a danger to humanity, and quickly disappeared before authorities showed up to ask questions. I'm not sure if anyone was ever hurt or killed, but them being Sailor Guardians might explain the changes in Rei's friend, Usagi. All of them were especially protective and loyal to her, and I don't think it was just because she was a Guardian. She was special to them, as if she were the one holding them together, like small threads that intertwined together."

Mr. Hino guided them around the Shrine, taking them through a large garden, and pausing before an open temple with a large fire in the center. "Chad might argue that allowing this is inviting more hopeless pain, but I'm not wrong that you will find and bring her back."

"Is he her boyfriend," Ryo asked. It shouldn't have mattered, nor was it relevant, and Sage almost hit him on the back of the head. Mr. Hino smiled...

"My granddaughter has never shown an interest in wanting a relationship, as much as I might have wanted differently. However, that is another story for another time. This is the fire that you asked for."

Ryo had never used anything to figure out what he wanted, and he wasn't even sure if the fire thing might work for him. However, it was the only link to Rei other than a wand that barely glowed anymore. Cye, Sage, and Kento stayed back, the heat too much as Ryo moved closer and closer. "That boy spoke the truth," Mr. Hino whispered, his voice filled with awe. Like his granddaughter, he was one of the rare few that the fire allowed so close.

"Are you telling me that he can see into that thing?" Kento demanded, still reeling at the thought of Ryo being able to see their past, present and future.

"Relax, Kento. It's not like he's ever had a full handle on those abilities, or our struggles might have gone a lot differently. Like Rowen, he's probably just awakening to an inner power that all of us possess. Trust that he'll figure it out."

"Trust isn't even your virtue," Kento grouched, crossing his arms in a huff.

"The four of you have a close friendship, very similar to Rei and her circle of friends."

"It definitely has a strong and painful history," Cye agreed. For the first time, Ryo was calm and determined, no longer focused on their most recent encounter with Suzunaki, but on the missing Fire Guardian. The wand flickered, coming to life for the first time in two days, pulling him even closer. Was the wand trying to tell him something, or was it a sign that the fire was the answer he needed to find her? Pausing right at the edge of the fire's base, the flames reached out to him, and he breathed in welcome relief. This was different than the fires of Mt. Fuji, and he felt as if he were coming home as it welcomed him with a warm embrace. "Show her to me," he asked.

All of them gaped in open mouthed astonishment, the fire briefly flaring up, to only return to it's normal state, images beginning to appear in the flames. Ryo was always one to believe in the supernatural, and talking to a fire was definitely on that list of the paranormal in Kento's eyes. "Don't you think we could have used that ability sooner?" Kento demanded.

"I wasn't even aware of it until now; now be quiet so I can figure out what it's trying to show me," he snapped. First, he saw a woman with black hair and lavender colored eyes. She wore a red sailor uniform, with high heals, and a tiara covering her forehead. She was badly injured, but he saw her clearly, and with her, the image of Mount Fuji, the volcano that he often used to restore or revive his armor and weapons. The fire calmed, and just as he started to come out of his trance, two birds called out to him, and Mr. Hino paled. "It's them... they're back! She is alive!" he cried with joy.

"Mr. Hino, please... we haven't even found her yet," Ryo tried to warn, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"They wouldn't have come if she were dead. Please, if you find and bring her back, I'll allow the four of you to stay while you continue your search for the others. There's more than enough room."

"Will that not become rather crowded or inconvenient," Sage asked, not wanting to overwhelm the old man.

"Nonsense. I've become old and tired, and my only wish is to see her before I die. Even if she cannot stay, that is my only wish and I will always find myself grateful if you were to do this one task."

Ryo walked up to the crows, amazed at the level of intelligence staring back at him. "You wouldn't know how to find her, would you?" They flapped their wings and cried out, circling around him once... twice... and drifted towards the sky, hovering as he made up his mind. Whistling, Mr. Hino gasped as a large, Himalayan Tiger ran up and allowed Ryo and Sage to climb on. "Can the two of you stay here," Sage asked them.

It was just a precaution, but none of them wanted to take any chances that something might happen to her grandfather while they were gone.


End file.
